DoD-Contracted Aircraft Goes Down During Routine Security Mission

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command reported that a U.S. military service member and three defense contractors suffered fatal injuries when their routine surveillance flight went down as it was providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of the Philippine government.

The Command said the aircraft crashed in the southern province of Maguindanao del Sur.

In a statement, the Indo-Pacific Command said, "The incident occurred during a routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities We can confirm no survivors of the crash. There were four personnel on board, including one U.S. military service member and three defense contractors.”

The aircraft was a U.S. Marine Corps Beechcraft King Air 350, according to a senior U.S. defense official. The names of those involved are being withheld pending notification of next of kin, and the cause of the accident is under investigation.

Windy Beaty is a provincial disaster-mitigation officer who said in an interview that she received reports from residents saying they saw smoke coming from the aircraft and heard a loud explosion before the aircraft fell to the ground about a half mile from a group of farmhouses.

U.S. military forces have been stationed in a Philippine military camp in the southern part of the country for decades providing advice and training to Filipino forces in their conflict with Muslim militants. The Philippines is a largely Roman Catholic country with a minority Muslim population.

FMI:  www.pacom.mil/